Ruairi Robinson to Direct Live Action ‘Akira’

Bloody Disgusting says that Warner Brothers is gearing up to make a live action version of the classic anime Akira. 29-year-old Irish Oscar nominee Ruairi Robinson has been tapped to direct the big screen adaptation.

The synopsis for Akira reads as follows: The year is 2019, 31 years after Tokyo was destroyed by a top secret weapons project during World War III. Now, Neo-Tokyo has risen from the ashes to become a dark and dangerous megalopolis infested with gangs and terrorists. The government seethes with corruption and only maintains token control over the powerful military that prevents total chaos and hides the secrets of the past.

Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda plunge into Neo-Tokyo's darkest secret when their motorcycle gang encounters a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject. Tetsuo, captured by the military, is subjected to experiments that make him a powerful psychic, but, unfortunately for Neo-Tokyo, Tetsuo's powers rage out of control and he lashes out at the world that has oppressed him! Nothing can stop the destructive forces that Tetsuo wields except possibly the last boy to destroy Tokyo - Akira!

Akira does not have a set start date at this time. It is being reported that the film could very likely go into production before the impending strikes this June.